Guide for the UK and Ireland
Menu price display rules – what you need to do
Can your menu be just a QR code? Do your prices have to hang by the door? Here's what applies in the UK and in Ireland. Short and in plain words, for cafés, bakeries, takeaways and small restaurants.
Last updated: October 2026 · not legal advice
In short
Is a QR code menu allowed?
Yes, as an extra. In the UK, no law bans a QR-only menu. In Ireland, the law asks for price notices on display, and a QR code can't replace them.
UK: there's no special menu law any more. General consumer law applies: guests must be able to see the full price before they order, including any compulsory charge. Prices that are hard to find can count as a misleading omission.
Many older guides still quote the Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003: a menu at the door, 30 items, 5 wines. That order was revoked in 2008. It no longer applies.
Ireland: a notice with your prices hangs by every public entrance, inside or outside. A QR code doesn't do that, so your QR menu comes on top.
The safe option in both countries: offer your QR menu and keep a printed menu as well.
The safe option
- QR menu at the table – as an extra
- Printed menu inside: on the table, on the wall or at the counter
- Ireland: price notice at every public entrance
- All prices including VAT and any compulsory charge
Outside
Do restaurants have to display prices outside?
In the UK, no. In Ireland, yes – at every public entrance.
GBUK: no duty at the door
No law asks for a menu at the entrance any more. The rule that did, the Price Marking Order 2003, was revoked on 26 May 2008. The Northern Ireland version was revoked at the same time. A menu in the window is up to you.
IEIreland: price notice at every entrance
A notice lists each food and soft drink with its price, including VAT, plus any minimum, service, cover or entry charge. It hangs immediately outside or immediately inside each public entrance. For soups, ice creams, cakes, sandwiches and soft drinks, the lowest and highest price is enough (S.I. 213/1984). Licensed premises also put an A4 notice at each entrance with the prices of 16 standard drinks, such as a pint of stout or 35.5 ml of whiskey (S.I. 263/1999).
Inside
Inside: clear prices before guests order
Every guest should know the price before they order. How you show it is mostly up to you.
GBUK: easy to see, measures on a notice
There's no set format. Guests must see the total price before they buy (DMCC Act 2024, s. 230). Leaving out important information, or putting it where guests are unlikely to see it, is a misleading omission (s. 227). In England, Wales and Scotland, gin, rum, vodka and whisky are sold in 25 ml or 35 ml measures, and a written notice on the premises says which. Wine by the glass (125 ml, 175 ml or multiples) and by the carafe: the sizes go on a notice or in every wine list and menu (Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988).
IEIreland: menus with prices, drinks list
The CCPC says menus must show prices. Without menus at the tables, a clear display in the room is needed, such as a blackboard. Licensed premises also display every drink inside, with its quantity and price, in letters at least 3 mm high (S.I. 263/1999).
And the QR code?
UK: QR menus aren't banned, but guests must find your prices easily before they order. Whether a wine list that's only behind a QR code counts as displayed on the premises is unclear. A small printed notice with your measures is the safe option. Ireland: the law asks for notices on display, so your QR menu can only come on top.
Prices
Cover and service charges: what's in the price
The price on your menu is the price your guest pays. Compulsory extras go into it.
GBUK: the total price
Prices include VAT and every charge guests have to pay (DMCC Act 2024, s. 230). Trading Standards guidance names a set cover charge in a restaurant as such a charge, so it belongs in the price. A service charge must be truly optional and clearly shown.
IEIreland: charges on the notice
Prices include VAT. Any minimum charge, service charge, cover charge or entry charge goes on the entrance notice too. If the service charge is already in the prices, the notice says so (S.I. 213/1984). In licensed premises, every drink is listed with its quantity (S.I. 263/1999).
Fines & allergens
What if something's missing? And allergens?
Trading Standards and the CCPC check prices. And allergens have their own rules.
GBUK
Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) enforce consumer law. Allergens in England: you may tell guests verbally, if a notice, the menu or a label says the details are available from staff (Food Information Regulations 2014, reg. 5). Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulations.
IEIreland
Fixed payment notice of €300 for price display offences (Consumer Protection Act 2007, s. 85). Allergens: in writing, where the food is presented or sold (S.I. 489/2014).
Allergens are a topic of their own.
How to show allergens on your menu is a topic of its own, with its own rules.
Allergens on your menuChecklist
Checklist for a small café
Go through the points once. If something only applies in one country, it says so.
- A printed menu with all food and drinks: on the table, on the wall or at the counter.
- QR menu at the table as an extra, with the same prices.
- Ireland: a price notice with every food and soft drink at each public entrance, inside or outside.
- Ireland, with a drinks licence: an A4 notice with the 16 standard drinks at each entrance, and all drinks with quantity and price inside.
- All prices include VAT and any compulsory charge, such as a set cover charge.
- Service charge: UK – truly optional and clearly shown. Ireland – on the entrance notice.
- England, Wales, Scotland: a printed notice with your spirit measures (25 ml or 35 ml) and your wine glass sizes.
- Drinks with their size, for example “Cola 330 ml”.
- Allergens: Ireland – in writing. England – verbally only with a notice that staff have the details.
- Price changed? Update the notice by the door, the menu on the table and the QR menu.
With momoscreen
One price list for QR menu, paper and screen
In momoscreen you enter your dishes and prices once. They become your QR menu, your printable menu and the screens in your shop.
- Printable menu: an A4 menu from the same dishes, as a PDF or printed directly. With the QR code of your QR menu if you like.
- Price changed? Change it once in momoscreen. Your QR menu and screens update automatically. Open your printable menu and print it again – it already has the new price.
- Write drink sizes into the name or description, for example “Cola 330 ml” or “House red 175 ml”.
- Put a line like “All prices include VAT” into “Text at the bottom of every page”. It then shows on every sheet.
For the door too
Your printed menu can hang by the door. In Ireland, that's where your price notice goes – with every dish and its price.
More about the printable menuAnd on the TV inside
Show your menu on the TV in your shop – with the same prices as in your QR menu.
More about menus on a TVSources
Laws and official sources
You can read it all yourself. The links go to the laws and the authorities.
This guide gives you an overview of the law and isn't legal advice. Rules can change, and some questions – such as whether a wine list behind a QR code is enough – aren't settled. If in doubt, ask your local Trading Standards service, the CCPC in Ireland or your trade association.
Last updated: October 2026
Questions
Quick answers
What many owners ask before they put up their menu or move it to the phone.
Are QR-only menus allowed in the UK and Ireland?
In the UK, yes: no law bans them. Guests must still see your prices easily before they order, including any compulsory charge. In Ireland, a QR code alone isn't enough, because the price notice at the entrance has to be on display. Safe in both countries: QR menu plus a printed menu.
Do restaurants have to display prices outside?
In the UK, no – that rule ended in 2008. In Ireland, yes: a notice with every food and soft drink and its price, immediately outside or immediately inside each public entrance. Licensed premises add an A4 notice with the prices of 16 standard drinks.
What are the legal requirements for a QR code menu in the UK?
There are none just for menus. Consumer law applies: show the total price, including VAT and compulsory charges such as a set cover charge, where guests can easily see it before they order. In England, Wales and Scotland, your spirit measures go on a notice on the premises, and wine sizes on a notice or in every wine list and menu. A small printed notice covers both.
Can I add a cover charge?
Only as part of the price you show. In the UK, Trading Standards guidance counts a set cover charge as a compulsory charge, and those belong in the price under the DMCC Act 2024. In Ireland, any cover charge goes on the price notice at the entrance.
Does the Price Marking Order 2003 still apply?
No. It was revoked on 26 May 2008, together with the Northern Ireland version. Many guides still quote its rules, such as a menu at the door with 30 items. Today, general consumer law applies, most recently the DMCC Act 2024.
Does this apply to takeaways and bakery cafés?
This guide is for places where guests eat and drink, so also for a takeaway or the café in a bakery. If you're not sure the rules apply to your shop, ask your local Trading Standards service (UK) or the CCPC (Ireland).
Can I print my price list with momoscreen?
Yes. In “Print menu” you turn your dishes into an A4 menu, with the QR code of your QR menu if you like. You download it as a PDF or print it directly. When you change a price, open the menu and print it again – it always uses your current prices.
Read on
Goes well with this
- Add your menu to Google MapsAdd your menu link from momoscreen to your Google Business Profile. Then guests see your current menu right on Google.
- Printable menuAn A4 menu from your dishes, in the look of your QR menu – as a PDF or printed directly.
- Your menu on a TVYour menu on the TV in your shop – with the same prices, updated automatically.
- The momoscreen QR menuGuests scan the code at the table and see your menu on their phone, in their language too.
One list. For QR menu, paper and screen.
Sign up for free, add your dishes and prices and print your menu. When you change a price, your QR menu and screens update automatically.
No subscription, no costs.